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Researchers at Stanford University may have reached a breakthrough in their efforts to improve solar efficiency and affordability. According to Stanford University News, the scientists discovered that "by properly configuring the thicknesses of several thin layers of films, an organic polymer thin film could absorb as much as 10 times more energy from sunlight than was thought......read more

1366 Technologies raises $20 million to fund a cheaper path to solar power.

By finding a simpler way to produce silicon wafers — the building block of solar cells — 1366 Technologies is set to revolutionize the solar energy game. The Lexington, Mass. company has raised $20 million to commercialize a technique that it says will cut the cost of solar panels by 40 percent. Typically, solar panels are manufactured by sawing large sheets of silicon into silicon wafers,......read more

Researchers switch out a toxic chemical in solar cells for a salt found in tofu

Solar power may be one of the cleanest energy sources, but one way of producing solar cells is actually quite toxic. A new study points to a safer and cheaper method, using an ingredient that is also used to make tofu.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool discovered that a salt used to produce the fermented bean curd, as well as to de-ice roads, could be a new ingredient in making solar......read more

For all the excitement over low cost solar power, much of it is still in the development stage backed by government resources and has yet to prove that it can compete on the market with cheap fossil fuels. However some private investors are starting to bet on low cost solar in a big way. Among them is tech specialist Len Batterson, whose startup NextGen Solar is kicking into gear. NextGen......read more

Damn you, solar energy. How badly we want you to power our homes. How clearly we don't have the tens of thousands of dollars we need to make it happen. Renewable, abundant solar energy may power the future but for now, only green-minded millionaires can afford it. Or so we thought. In fact, Photovoltaic panels are getting smaller, cheaper, and more efficient. Installation costs are declining......read more

The Turanor is a 98-foot catamaran powered by an array of solar panels large enough to cover two tennis courts. There are big plans for this futuristic craft; next spring it will attempt a circumnavigation of the planet. According to the vessel's skipper, the purpose of the mission is to prove that "we have the technology right now to change how we do things." In other words, this......read more

A small town on the border of the Mojave Desert is the new leader in solar energy. Nipton, California, a town of about 250 people, gets 85% of its electricity from a new 80 kilowatt solar project. This proves that renewable energy technology is already advanced enough to power our homes and lives, albeit maybe just in small towns for now. But the possibilities are endless, and as a gateway......read more

On the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina, families are turning to solar panels to heat the water in their homes. Eventually, 900 homes on the military base will have the shiny reflective panels on the roof. By transfering heat via pipes to a water tank that reaches temperatures of 180 degrees fahrenheit, the solar panels can heat around 75% of the water used by families living on......read more

The EU, which says it will meet 20% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020, gets set to switch on solar power in the Sahara Desert. Vertical agriculture takes off: 11 "farmscrapers" that build on the success of living walls and mobile gardens. A fake oil spill was staged at the Tate in London, as BP protestors railed against the unholy alliance between oil companies and......read more

The president announces federal support for two solar energy companies.

Some welcome news from Washington, as President Obama announced Saturday that the federal government will provide nearly $2 billion in loan guarantees for new projects by two solar power companies. As many as 5,000 green jobs will be created by the guarantees, which are to be covered by money from the $787 billion Recovery Act stimulus package. Colorado-based Abengoa Solar, a division of Spanish......read more